The prior art includes systems wherein a central site, using a computer with a modem, polls systems at remote sites having local modems for status information. Similarly, the prior art also includes appliances that contain a preprogrammed modem and microprocessor to call a central service center when malfunctions occur in the appliance.
On-line service system providers have a difficult time monitoring exactly what happens to a system after it leaves the factory. It would be desirable to have a device that attaches to a system that performs several functions:
Performance Monitoring: For example, fax and voice service systems are relatively complex, and it is difficult for the customer to properly monitor all of the functions of the system. It would be helpful to be able to detect configuration errors (wrong phone number programmed into the system) as well as monitoring the performance of units once they are installed so that the supplier can recommend configuration changes to the customer. This information could also be used for sales purposes, e.g. to determine those customers who are ready for system capacity upgrades.
Fault detection and isolation: System design efforts seek to create "set it and forget it" systems. Ideally, once installed in a phone closet, the customer need never worry about the actual working of the system. This poses a problem: if one non-critical component fails the customer will probably not notice it. For example, if a fax board in a fax server stops working, the unit will probably continue to function normally, although at a reduced capacity. Problems of this nature generally go undetected for several months until the customer becomes increasingly annoyed at the declining performance of the system. What is needed is a way to detect this type of problem early so that remedial action can be taken before the problem has been noticed.
Marketing Information: Sale of voice and fax servers, and similar equipment, is based upon an economic argument in their sales effort--it is cheaper to buy an automated unit than to hire a person to do the faxing. There is the need for hard numbers to quantify exactly how much traffic the systems in the field are experiencing. For example, it would be extremely useful to be able to show a prospective customer a report listing the number of pages each day that are sent by systems that are already installed.
Royalty Avoidance Protection: It is unfortunate, however, vendors of PC-based voice mail systems have discovered that not all of their dealers are honest. Some "fly-by-night" dealers purchase one or two systems from the vendor and make copies of the software disks. They then go direct to other manufactures and purchase voice boards. Combined with the copied software, the vendor then churns out completed voice mail systems without paying any royalty to the voice mail software company. In applications of this nature, support is always provided by the local dealer. With the software company removed from the support loop, illegal copying is difficult to detect. Some software vendors have been forced to resort to bundling the software to hardware devices which are usually attached to the parallel port of a system. In such configurations, if the software doesn't see this "lock" device, namely the board bundled with it, the software refuses to operate. The problem here is that the hardware device is obviously a theft protection device, and it tells the customer, "We don't trust you". The insult implicit with the use of such highly visible devices is not conducive to sales.
The software sales path is presently a one-way process in which knowledge (software) moves from the developer to the end-user. What is needed is a user transparent device which can serve as a conduit for information in the other direction; i.e. from the end-user's system back to the developer/manufacturer, without creating a nuisance to the user.
What is missing in the prior art is a local system that includes some or all of the following features:
1) a call-out feature of the local unit that is concealed from the local system user; PA1 2) the use of modems and telephone lines for software copy protection; PA1 3) the use of random periodicity of the calling-out function to prevent its anticipation by the local system user; PA1 4) the use of calling periodicity to allow detection of multiple units using copies of software intended for use in a single unit only; PA1 5) the use of toll free numbers to avoid detection by means of unrecognized toll charges on the local system user's telephone bill; and PA1 6) the use of ANI (automatic number identification) to uniquely determine the identity of the local calling site.